This invention relates generally to ridge cap ventilators for the peaked roof of a house, and particularly to a ridge cap cover folded from a cut and scored blank of double-faced corrugated plastic.
Proper ventilation of the roof area of a building is essential both in buildings having an interior ceiling or an open interior structure in order to prevent the accumulation of hot air and moisture. Many products have been developed to provide varying forms of ventilation, either separate ventilation structures or building materials having ventilating properties. Some representative examples of these structures are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,230,305; 2,060,002; 2,214,886; 2,207,671; 2,556,784; 2,579,662; 2,737,876; 2,782,129; 2,847,948; 2,868,104; 3,073,235; 3,311,047; 3,481,263 and 3,625,134.
One particular type of design calls for the ridge peak of a roof to be cut open, and a ventilated cover having an inverted V-shape corresponding to the angle of the roof to be disposed over that open area and attached to the roof along each side of the peak. The ventilation is provided by slots or apertures extending in a direction from the peak downwardly toward the gutter or soffit.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,236,170 to Meyer discloses such a ventilated roof construction where the inverted V-shaped ridge cap is made from two single-layer sections of corrugated metal which are connected near the peak and covered with shingles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,949,657 to Sell discloses a structure where the ventilator is made from two interconnected blocks of a honeycombed corrugated fiberboard treated with a water repellent coating. The Sells '657 cap has beveled inner and outer edges, and is attached to the roof using nails and covered with shingles. The corrugations produce small tubes oriented perpendicular to the peak which help prevent insects and wind driven moisture from being admitted.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,399 to Cunning shows a corrugated ridge cap ventilator with the corrugations running parallel with the peak, and the ventilation being accomplished by slots in the corrugated material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,147 to Mankowski discloses a ridge cap ventilator of the same general type wherein the cap is generally open, but has a plurality of apertures along a wall parallel with the peak of the roof.
Each of these ridge cap ventilators produce suitable ventilation, but have significant limitations. The ventilator structures themselves are very bulky and their non-uniform shapes make packaging and shipping the product more difficult and expensive. The ventilators are difficult to modify or customize in the field, even with the appropriate equipment, and in order to be durable the ventilators must be constructed of heavy and more expensive building materials.